Royal Blood
by OnlyAnonymous
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin, framed for the murder of his father, is driven mad by a desire for revenge against his true killer. But his anger towards his father's killer clears the way for an ancient, dark entity to take hold within him.
1. Chapter 1

The table in the main hall was a noisy place. The king had just married, a beautiful noblewoman's daughter by the name of Elisa Queridon. This was the feast in celebration of that joyous event, and though the main hall was vast, and the table that occupied it long, they had so many visitors that there were such tables set up all throughout the castle. The main hall was crowded with the Royalty from other kingdoms. They had invited everyone from the neighboring kingdoms, and some from kingdoms which were not quite so close. They had the Grinthal family, the Doraten family, the Tarvens from the far east, the Hagliths from the west. Perhaps the family present which was most worthy of note were the Rapunzels, from the south. The king and his new queen were out on the balcony now, and they were being watched by a boy, sitting in one of the quieter corners of the hall. The boy had hazel eyes, light brown hair that curled a bit, and was wearing nobleman's clothes. He looked around eighteen.  
He watched the king, his father though no one would have guessed. He looked quite a bit more like his mother, at least the king told him so. He had never seen his mother. She'd left before he would have had the time to remember her. His father had been very kind to have raised him. Most other kings would have left bastard children, their worst mistakes, out to rot. Of course, no one knew he was the king's son. It would ruin the king. It was just the way things were. He watched his father, and his new wife, and he smiled. The king truly loved this woman. He deserved this, to be happy. As the boy was sitting, lost in thought, a girl who looked about thirteen years old walked over and sat down next to himn with a sigh. She had straight black hair, green-hazel eyes, and was wearing a straight, plain green dress, that went down just about mid-calve on her. He looked at her, recognising her instantly.  
"Lady Rapunzel," he said rising, and bowing deeply. She smiled.  
"You may rise," she said. He did, and she patted the space next to her. "Sit. I by no means meant to evict you from what may be the least tumultuous seat in the hall," she said. He bowed his head, and sat, relaxing a bit.  
"I remember you. You greeted my family at the gates," she recalled. She looked at him for a minute. "Lord Rumpelstiltskin was it?" she asked. He nodded.  
"You don't have to use the title," he said a bit uncomfortably. His father had just given it to him, and he wasn't quite sure what he'd done to earn it.  
She looked at him understandingly. "The king just gave it to you I presume?" she asked. He nodded, and she patted his arm, surprising him.  
"I know what that's like," she said, leaning back. "Mind you, I got mine when I was four, so I've had a bit more time to get used to it."  
"Why did they wait until you were four?" he asked, forgetting that his station did not usually converse with hers. He was a lord in name only. She was a lady, but also the heir to a throne.  
She shrugged though, not seeming to mind. "I've not the faintest idea," she said. The couple out on the balcony caught her eye. They were dancing slowly now, gazing into one another's eyes.  
"You must be happy for them," she said softly.  
"I am," he replied, watching them as well.  
Another boy walked over. He had a pinched face, blue eyes and blonde hair.  
"My lady. Would you like to dance," he asked, holding out his hand. Lady Rapunzel smiled at him.  
"Alas, I am quite tired from dancing. And thirsty. Would you be so kind as to fetch me a drink my lord?" she asked innocently. The boy didn't look too happy about it, but turned, heading away. When he turned his back, Lady Rapunzel turned to Rumpelstiltskin, looking panicked. "I'm feeling faint," she said, though she didn't look it. She looked around, her expression similar to that of a cornered bird. She stood, almost tripping on her dress in her haste to leave the room. Rumpelstiltskin stared after her, frowning as she headed for the door. The castle was quite large. What if she got lost? He made a quick decision, and hurried out the door after her.  
A few minutes later, Norbert Haglith came back, carrying a glass of punch. He frowned, finding the seat empty.

Rumpelstiltskin was right, she did get lost. He hurried after her as she ran through the halls, wondering at how she could run so quickly and quietly in dancing shoes, before realising she was carrying them. He wondered who that boy was, and why she was running away.  
"Lady Rapunzel," he called after her breathlessly. She spun around, eyes wide.  
"Oh," she gasped when she saw it was him. She looked around him. "Is he there?" she asked.  
"I don't think so," Rumpelstiltskin replied.  
She sighed in relief, and sat down on the floor, leaning heavily against the wall. She closed her eyes, letting her head hit the wall behind her. He walked over, and sat down against the wall a few feet away from her. After she looked like she'd calmed down a bit, he spoke.  
"Who was he?" he asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping any bounds.  
"Norbert Haglith," she said. She opened, her eyes, and straightened her legs out, leaning over to put her shoes back on. "My bethrothed," she said, and he inferred from her tone that it was an arranged marriage.  
"Ah," he said as she stood. He stood with her, still keeping a respectable distance from her.  
"You know, you're very lucky that you are Royal by adoption only," Lady Rapunzel said, starting to walk back along the corridor. He hurried to walk next to her. "Being Royal by birth and blood is not as fun as all the gossip makes it out to be," she said.  
He didn't reply to that, and they walked along in silence until they reached her rooms. He bowed, and bid her good night, before heading back to the main hall.  
"Rumpelstiltskin," she called after him. He turned to look at her, and she smiled at him. "Thank you," she said. She ducked into her room, and closed the door behind her.  
"You're welcome," he said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Years passed. His little half-sister Snow White fifteenth birthday passed, and they were all still happy. Until one day, Snow burst into the library, flowers in her hair, all smiles.  
"Rummy, There's a new man at the court," she sang. Rumpelstiltskin did not look up from the book he was reading.  
"Is that so?" he asked, turning the page. "Who?"  
Snow snatched the book from him, and he sighed, looking up at her. "A Genie," she said. He stared at her. "Father brought home a lamp?" he asked confusedly.  
Snow sighed in exasperation. "No, he freed the man in the lamp. Wished him free!" Snow said. Rumpelstiltskin nodded.  
"Yes. I can imagine father doing that easily," he grinned. He reached out, stil grinning. Now may I have my book back?" he asked. Snow handed it back to him.  
"I don't believe you aren't interested," she said. He shrugged, but didn't reply, already re-buried in the book.

Rumpelstiltskin did not pay the man much attention at all, but perhaps he should have paid more. This man, the odd man from the lamp would be his undoing, for there was something in the castle busily plotting. Something that was no more fond of Rumpelstiltskin than of his sister, or his father. But Rumpelstiltskin did not realise this, and he carried on as he normally would have. That is, until he noticed the man, whose name he didn't even know, in the garden with his step-mother. His father had told her that he was his son, of course. And she hadn't seemed to mind at all, nor hold the fact against the king. What Rumpelstiltskin saw in the garden made him feel dizzy and a bit faint. The new man, the ex-genie, was kissing his step-mother. He froze, not really registering what he was seeing until they broke apart, and the man left his step-mother standing in the garden, staring after him.  
Of course Rumpelstiltskin had noticed his step-mother had been looking a bit poorly for a while now. She had only been picking at her food, and getting thinner. Now it occured to him that she was perhaps unhappy with his father. Her husband. Rumpelstiltskin headed straight to bed after that, not knowing what to think, or who to tell, or IF he should tell someone, or if he should keep it to him self. Maybe it would sort itself out. Maybe his step-mother would realise her mistake in this, and end whatever she and the genie-man had.

After a few days, however, he heard the news from his sister that the queen had been confined to her rooms. The king, suspecting something was wrong, had read his wife's diary, and there were rumors that she had written that she loved another. Rumpelstiltskin had excused himself after that, and had stayed in his rooms, not even coming out for dinner. After pacing for a few hous, he decided he must tell his father what he'd seen in the garden. Immediately. He was still dressed, and he hurried out of his room heading to his father's room. "I need to see the king. It's about the queen," he said, being very careful as always not to say'my father', or 'my mother'. They opened the doors, and he stepped into the first room, moving swiftly to knock lightly on the door to his father's room. He heard glass shattering, and tried the handle, finding the door locked. Desperate, he used magic to out himself in the room. He'd only just begun learning how, and stumbled on the other side of the door, clutching his head. He saw a man, the Genie-man, standing by the window, looking back at Rumpelstiltskin. The glass that his father kept on his night-stand had fallen, and that was what he had heard breaking. The Genie-man started out of the window down a rope, and Rumpelstiltskin started after him, before he heard his father gasping.  
"Rum...Rumpel..." He stopped, changing direction, rushing over to the bed. There were small bite marks all over his father's neck, and the king had turned a bruised shade of purple. Rumpelstiltskin clutched his hand tightly, yelling at the locked door.  
"Help! The king is injured!" he yelled, turning back to his father. "Father? Father! What happened?" he asked, panicked.  
"The queen... the queen, he rasped. Rumpelstiltskin could hear the gaurds pounding on the door, but it sounded far away.  
"Mother?" he asked. "Mother did this?" The king managed a nod, and convulsed. "Hold on! You can't go, you'll be alright," Rumpelstiltskin yelled as he ran to the door, unlocking it as quickly as he could. It swung open, and he was knocked to the ground as the gaurds burst in. He leapt up, running back over to his father. One of the gaurds was running to get help, everyone there could see it was no use. The king lay still on his bed, not breathing. He was dead. Rumpelstiltskin stared at him in shock. His father couldn't be dead. Not him. He was the best man in the realm. He was his father for gods' sake. He couldn't be dead.  
"John?" a familiar voice came from behind. Rumpelstiltskin turned, eyes full of black hate, to see his mother burst in, staring in horror at his father. She looked at him for a minute, tears welling up in her eyes. "Murderer!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled. He ran at her, only to be stopped a minute before he reached her by her gaurds. He clawed at them as they pushed him down to the ground, holding them there. His mother walked over, looking down at him. "Whore!" he screamed up at her fighting the gaurds holding him.  
He got a foot free, and aimed a kick at her, only the tip of his boot connecting with her leg, making her stumble back. "Rummy! What are you doing?" Snow asked, coming into the room. The gaurds let him go, but kept between the queen and him as he stood. He pointed at the queen accsuingly.  
"She did this! She killed father!" he yelled, enraged.  
"Lord Rumpelstiltskin, that's ridiculous," the queen said from behind the men. Rumpelstiltskin yelled something unintelligible, and charged at her again. The guards met him once more, pinning him down more forcefully this time as the queen walked over and calmly pressed a finger against his forehead. He was very dizzy for a moment, and then the world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Rumpelstiltskin was aware of was that it was cold. It was very cold. He woke up very slowly, wondering where he was. He was lying on hard stone, and it was very uncomfortable. He groaned, sitting up, and looking around. He appeared to be in one of the upper dungeons. And then the spells hit him. He groaned loudly, and threw up. There were spells to hold, restrain, put down, reverse, undo, and prevent any other spells in the cell. He'd skipped dinner last night, and didn't have very much in him to throw up, but he couldn't stop retching. When he did, he leaned against the nearest wall, and closed his eyes, the cold of the stones soothing. He should have been hungry, but instead he just felt sick. He didn't know how long he was there for, but after a while, the door opened, and Snow walked in.

"Snow," he said, crawling closer. "You have to help. The queen, she-"  
"Why?" she asked shortly. He looked up at her.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Why did you do it? He loved you just as much as he loved me. You were like a son to him. Why would you kill him?" Snow asked. What she was saying dawned on him.  
"No, Snow, don't listen to her. The queen, she killed him. She was having an affair with-"  
"I don't want to hear it," she said, and he looked up at her from the floor, almost crying.  
"Snow, I didn't kill father. You have to help me," he plead, reaching for her.  
She stepped back, out of his reach. "Don't touch me. I hope you rot," she said venemously. He gazed up at her steadily. "And rot I may. But please, Snow, whatever you do, don't trust her. You can't trust that woman," he said. Snow stared at him for a minute, and then left, without saying another word. The gaurds walked in after her.  
"You have been found guilty of the murder of the king, and sentenced to incarceration for life," one of them read from a scroll. The other two hauled him to his feet.  
"What about the king's laws? The right to a public trial?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.  
"The queen has made an exception for his murderer," the gaurd said coldly. He nodded to the others. "Take him to the lower dungeons."  
He struggled, but one of the gaurds hit him over the head, and he went limp. They hauled him through the corrdidors, and when they neared the cell, he jerked awake, and started screaming, trying desperately to get away. It stunk of magic down here, dark magic. Magic that was meant to eat away at the soul and unravel a man. Magic to punish murderers. One of the gaurds unlocked a door, and the other's tossed Rumpelstiltskin into the cell. His head hit the floor, and he lay there for a few moments, dizzy, not moving, before he started screaming in the suffocating darkness.  
-


	4. Chapter 4

He didn't know how long he was in that cell. He didn't want to know. He wished he would die, so it would be over with. The magic in that cell seeped into his very being. Into the deepest, most private parts of his soul, corrupting them, turning him black. And it hurt. Sometimes he burned as if his insides, his very soul were aflame, though it was freezing in the cell. Sometimes it felt like he was being pulled in all directions at once, and he was certain that he would be torn apart at any moment and then his pain would be over. But it was never over. They kept him fed, but it didn't matter. He couldn't keep food down. He felt sick constantly, and he could never breathe. He was being crushed, and he would scream, sometimes for hours, until his throat burned and his cries came out as short, rasping yelps. He hardly ever slept, and when he did, he saw his Father's face, glaring at him accusingly. He knew it was only the magic in the cell. But after a while, the dreams got to him as they were meant to. Visions of his sister asking why he'd done it, scenes in which his Father only glared at him silently, but there was more to be said in his gaze than Rumpelstiltskin would have thought possible. And after a while of it, he could almost believe that he had actually killed his father.  
Then one day the door opened. He flinched against the light, shielding his eyes with his hands. For a few minutes, he thought he had died. That the figure in black was a demon, come to drag him back down to hell with her. He flinched weakly, trying to crawl into the corner nefore she reached him. He buried his face in his hands, yelping dryly in fear.  
"I didn't kill him," he whimpered as loudly as he could. His voice still came out as a croaking whisper.  
The figure reached it's hands out, and he tensed. But instead of dragging him away, as he expected it to, it put a hand to his shoulder, and rubbed, shushing him.  
"I know you did not Rumpelstiltskin," a voice said. He lowered his hands cautiously, eyes narrowed from the light coming in. As his eyes adjusted, he realised it was just a torch from outside. The woman stood, and he looked up at her, though her face was shrouded in darkness. She reached a hand down, and he looked at it for a minute, and then took it, trying to stand. His legs fell out from under him, and she caught him before he could hit the ground, picking him right off the ground with surprising strength. He yelped in surprise, and then relaxed as they walked out of the cell. He felt better every step she took away from that cell. They went up a flight of stairs, and she put him down at the top. He stumbled, clutching the wall tightly for support. He bent over, and started retching uncontrollably. When he looked up, a man in the uniform of his Father's- no, the queen's men was walking towards them. He panicked, and tried to run back down the stairs, but the woman stopped him.  
"It's alright. This is Rornek. He will help you out," she said. Rumpelstiltskin, trembling heart pounding, turned to the man. He nodded to the woman, and she looked at Rumpelstiltskin once, before running off down the hall, transforming into a black wolf as she ran. Rumpelstiltskin stared after her, until the man, Rornek, cleared his throat, drawing Rumpelstiltskin's attention.  
"Follow me," he said, turning and striding away briskly.  
Rumpelstiltskin followed him, through the familiar corridors. They turned into the kitchens, which were empty. Rumpelstiltskin frowned, wondering why that was. Rornek led the way out of the kitchens, and into the gardens, following a little walked path, which ended at a small side gate. It was locked, but Rornek pulled out a key with a skeleton handle, and opened it. He held it open, looking at Rumpelstiltskin expectantly. Rumpelstiltsin looked at the gate, and then at Rornek.  
"Who are you? Why are you helping me?" he asked.  
"If you ever come back, you kill the queen," Rornek said, looking at him purposefully. Rumpelstiltskin met his gaze for a minute, and then hurried, out the gate and into the forest outside. He breathed in the fresh air gratefully, and limped off, still too weak to run. 


	5. Chapter 5

3 Months Later

Rumpelstiltskin was running. He was always running now. He could barely remember life before his father had died. He had long forgotten what a bed felt like. The pains in his side that came from running to much hardly bothered him anymore. He couldn't remember what it was like to be without them. He was in the woods now, and he had to be constantly careful not to run into trees. An arrow thudded into a tree just ahead of him, and he laughed manaically. In the beginning, he had considered letting them catch him, take him to the queen, and then kill her, but he had soon found that they had orders to kill him on sight. He ran for what felt like forever. He would normally have lost them by now. He stopped, unable to run anymore. He could hear shouting behind him, but he tuned it out, concentrating. A purple mist gathered around him, and an arrow sailed into the mist just before it disappated.

He hadn't really been aiming his jump. He hadn't had time, so he'd left it to Fate. He came out in a round room, with a high ceiling. But Rumpelstiltskin didn't notice this. He fell to the ground with a scream of pain. He looked down, seeing the arrow, lodged in his leg. He panted, and cursed. He didn't do healing. He reached down, and broke off one end of the arrow, biting his other fist hard enough to draw blood in case he was somewhere where the men could hear him. He groaned, pulling the other end out quickly, before collapsing on the floor, breathing hard. He looked around, seeing where he was, and stood shakily, carefully keeping his weight off his leg.  
"Stop right there," said a woman's voice from behind him. He froze. "Put you hands up," the voice said. He did, and turned slowly to see a woman standing half behind a wardrobe, holding a kitchen knife. She had black, waist-length hair, and green eyes. She looked very familiar, but he couldn't place her.  
"Who are you, and why are you here?" she demanded. She had a certain air about her. Almost like... his eyes popped wide open. Like royalty.  
"Mirren Rapunzel?" he asked. She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him. "Who are you? Did he send you?" she demanded.  
"We met. At King John White's wedding," he said. "I don't know you," she said cautiously, still not lowering the knife. He looked to the side, and caught sight of himself in a mirror. He wasn't surprised. He was a lot thinner than he had been then. His hair was stringy and dirty, and there was dirt all over his skin. He hadn't changed since the night of his father's death, and his clothes were battered and torn. He looked back at Mirren, who hardly looked much of a lady now. She was dressed in commoner's clothes, and while she was clean, she was thinner, and there were dark circles under her eyes, as well as a shallow cut on her left cheekbone. He took a step forward, but stopped when she brandished the knife at him more threateningly.  
"Rumpelstiltskin. Do you remember me?" he asked. She paused, and he hurried on. "You came to sit with me in the corner, and there was a boy. He was-" Rumpelstiltskin strained to remember. "Norbert. Norbert Haglith. He wanted to dance, and you ran away," he said. Mirred dropped the knife, and it fell to the floor with a clang.  
"Lord Rumpelstiltskin. Of course, I remember," she said. Then she did something that surprised him to no end. She dropped down to her knees, almost looking like crying. "Forgive me my Lord," she said, head bowed. Rumpelstiltskin, taken aback, had no idea what to do.  
"What? What are you doing?" he asked. She looked up, and looked him over, seeming to realise something. She stood, looking him over.  
"You aren't a lord anymore, are you? You might even be less than I am now," she said.  
"Lady Rapunzel, what happened to you?" he asked, limping over to a chair. She turned to him, and snorted.  
"I'm not a lady, and my name is no longer Rapunzel," she said. "I am Mirren Haglith." She spat the name out like a curse.  
Rumpeltiltskin couldn't help it. He giggled. "Arranged marriages," he snorted, bursting out into full fledged laughter, and getting a slap for it. He sobered, and looked up meekly to see Mirren standing above him, glaring, hands on her hips.  
"Sorry," he said quietly, though he was still laughing inside.


	6. Chapter 6

"Watch it!" Rumpelstiltskin snapped as Mirren cut a slit from the end of his pant leg to the knee, scratching him. Mirren put the knife down, and raised her eyebrows at him.  
"Do you want to do this yourself?" she asked. He glared at her, but said nothing. She peeled the fabric away from the wound as gently as she could, though some of the blood had already dried, and the material stuck slightly. She heard him hissing sofly above. She reached down beside her, for the bottle she'd gotten from the supply closet. Unceremoniously, she dumped half the contents onto the wound. Unprepared, he yelped as the thick liquid seeped over the wound, stinging more than he had thought was possible.  
"Shit!" he hissed. Mirren left the disinfectant on a minute longer, before wiping most of it off gently with a soft rag. She wrapped gauze around his leg, leaving some of the disinfectant in, and tying the bandage off, tightly, but not enough to cut of circulation. She stood, and went over to the cabinet, putting the supplies away, and he watched her. "Thank you," he said, though he was disinclined to at the time as his leg was still tingling most unpleasantly.  
Before she had the chance to answer, the sound of banging came from the lower levels of the tower. Mirren looked at Rumpelstiltskin in alarm. She walked over, helping him to his feet, and leading him to the wardrobe. She opened the door, and pushed him in.  
"What-"  
"Shh. Stay here, and don't say a word," she hissed at him. She closed the doors almost all the way, leaving them open a crack, and then hurried down the stairs.  
"I'm coming," she called. He heard the door open, and another voice, a man.  
"Did you make dinner?" he demanded.  
"As if you would be that lucky," she said coldly.  
"Don't walk away from me," the man said. He heard thumping footsteps, and the door opened, Mirren walking in.  
"Walk to where Norbert?" she asked, turning around to face the man. Rumpelstiltskin couldn't see him, but he knew who it was. He heard a grunt, and Mirren cried out.  
"Don't get smart with me," he heard Norbert say softly. He heard a slap.  
"You remember who wields magic around here," Mirren hissed at him angrily. There was another thump, and a yelp.  
"Don't. Threaten. Me," Norbert said. Rumpestiltskin cracked the door open, to see a blonde haired man, with a pinched, rat-like face pinning Mirren against the wall, holding her hands above her head. She glared at him.  
"You can't cast in here and you know it," he said. He licked along her jawline, and she turned her face away, a look of absolute disgust on her face. He let one of her hands go to grab her face, making her look at him. This was a mistake. She punched him in the face, and brought her knee up at the same time, and he collapsed to the floor, a look of absolute hatred on his face. He stood, and started towards Mirren, but froze, a purple mist surrounding him. His eyes widened in fear, and when the mist was gone, so was Norbert. Mirren looked down at the floor, at a large snail that was slowly making it's way to the door. Rumpelstiltskin stepped out of the closet, sitting heavily on the floor, a light sweat on his forehead. That was a transformation, and a transport spell, in one day.  
"Is that Norbert?" Mirren asked, walking over to the snail, and bending over to examine it.  
"Yes," Rumpelstiltskin replied. Mirren looked down at the creature, and sneered. In on quick motion, she lifted her foot up and brought it down on the snail, squashing it. Rumpelstiltskin stared at her in horror. She looked at him challengingly.  
"Oops," she said without regret. She walked over to a chair, and sat down, wiping the slime off her shoe with a rag, very calmly. She snapped her fingers, but nothing happened, and she sighed. They sat there in silence for a long time, neither really knowing what to say.  
"Why can't you use magic?" Rumpelstiltskin asked. She'd obviously been trying when she'd snapped her fingers. "Norbert had an old witch place spells over the tower, and over me. I can't leave, and I can't use magic while I'm in the tower." She snorted. "He'd dead, but now what? I'm still stuck in here, so that's no good."  
Rumpelstiltskin regarded her curiously. "You know, I could undoe whatever it is she did," he said.  
She looked up at him in surprise. "Then do it," she said. He shook his head.  
"First of all, not tonight. I'm too tired. Secondly, I'm not doing it for nothing," he said. Mirren stood walking over to him.  
"How about you do it and live?" she said. He grinned.  
"Nice try Lady Rapunzel," he said, guessing she would go back to using her maiden name. "But you won't kill me, since I'm your only hope of getting out. How about this for a deal: I let you out, and you help me kill someone," he said. Mirren raised her eyebrows. "You need my help to kill someone?" she asked.  
"She's a sorcereress. A considerably powerful one. I can't take her on my own, and even if I could, I'd die trying to get into her castle," he said.  
"Deal," she said, smiling.  
"Do you swear, as a sorceress?" he asked.  
"I swear, on my honor as a sorcererss," she said. He grinned wearily.  
"Wonderful. Do you have an extra bed in here somewhere?" he asked hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7

He ended up sleeping on a pile of extra bedding on the floor, though he thought it was unjustified since the bed was very large. Definitely large enough for two people to sleep on without ever coming into contact with one another. His opinion changed however, when he peeked up onto the bed to see Mirren sprawled facedown smack in the middle of it, toes poking out of the end of the blanket at the foot of the bed, one of her arms hanging off so her hand was dangling over his face, and the other clutching an extra pillow to herself. He had never imagined that one person would ever be abe to take up that much space in a bed on their own. He didn't wonder about it for long though, as he was exhausted, from running and from having used more magic than he normally would have. He fell asleep quickly.

Mirren shook him awake the next morning, informing him that breakfast was ready. It was a thin stew, that there wasn't very much of, which was unfortunate as Rumpelstiltskin was veyr hungry. He ate what there was, and went outside, quickly undoing the spells on the tower. They were flimsy at best, but he didn't tell Mirren that. He went back into the bedroom, to find her stuffing clothes into a bag. He was about to warn her to save some room for something other than clothes, but she took another dress out of the closet, stuffed it in, and the bag wasn't even getting any thicker. He realised it must be enchanted, and kept his mouth shut.  
After stuffing all of the pans, all her clothes, all the extra bedding, and all of the little things like hairbrushes into the bag, she'd dumped it on him, and gone to get another bag out of the pantry. She stuffed more bags of the same sort into that, and then put all the herbs, spices, jars and containers of food into it. She walked back over to Rumpelstiltskin, who was holding her bag. Despite being enchanted to hold more, whoever had enchanted it seemed to have forgotten how to make it weightless: The bag must have weighed over a hundred pounds. She switched bags with him, slinging hers over her shoulder and leading the way out of the tower. She paused at the doorstep, and took a deep breath before stepping out, and grinning broadly when nothing stopped her. They walked a little ways away from the tower, and then Mirren turned, looking back at it.  
"Zehrik," she said, and Rumpelstiltskin jumped back in surprise as the tower burst into flames. She stood, watching it burn for a few minutes longer, before she turned, and walked off towards the forest without another word. Rumpelstiltskin followed her, several thoughts running through his mind, not the least of which was him wishing the queen's castle wasn't so heavily protected against fires.

They walked for several days, and Rumpelstiltskin had no idea where she thought she was going. When he asked her, she said they were taking the first step to killing the Black queen. She had been a bit surprised when he'd told her the news about his father, and more than a little mad that Norbert had been keeping tht much from her during what she insisted on calling her imprisonment.  
Finally, they reached the capitol of the southern kingdom. The gate was heavily gaurded, and Rumpelstiltskin, assuming that someone had taked the kingdom from her by force, looked up at the cross-bows pointed at them nervously. Mirren however, remained completely calm.  
"General De'Sani?" she called up.  
"Who goes there?" the man asked from above.  
"Mirren Rapunzel, reigning queen of the southern kingdom, the Green Lady of Niatel," she said. The general bowed deeply, which looked odd since he was so high above them.  
"I shall inform the Regent of your return immediately," he said, hurrying away. The gates were opened, and Mirren and Rumpelstiltskin walked through the gates into the city, making their way up towards the modest castle at it's center. They were greeted at the gates by more soldiers, and a gray-haired woman who was rather plump, but somehow firm looking at the same time. She had a pompous, in-charge sort of authoritative air about her, almost like a parent figure. Rumpelstiltskin immediately disliked her. The woman rushed forward and hugged Mirren when she got close, and Mirren hugged her back.  
"Mirren! You have no idea how glad I am to see you child. I thought this would be an easy job, but just look at this," she said, gesturing to her hair. "I've counted, there are seventy-two new gray hairs since the start of the year," she said.  
"Nana, I missed you so much," Mirren said, and pulled her back in for another hug. When they separated, Nana noticed Rumpelstiltskin, and her face formed into an expression of disapproval.  
"What is _that_?" she asked. Rumpelstiltskin stiffened, and Mirren responded before the former-nobleman had time to pick a fight.  
"Nana, this is Lord Rumpelstiltskin. He aided in my escape," Mirren said. Nana sniffed.  
"And what is he the lord of exaclty?" she asked, and her tone implied that she thought he could be nothing more than the lord of dirt.  
Mirren looked at Rumpelstiltskin awkwardly. "What exactly were you the lord of?" she asked quietly, but Nana still heard.  
"Oh, former lord than. I'm not surprised you lost the title," she said.  
"Nana please not now," Mirren plead. "We both need to wash up, and I must have a discussion with Cecil. Regarding the Black Queen," she said.  
Nana nodded, and led them through the gates with one last disapproving glance at Rumpelstiltskin.


	8. Chapter 8

They both cleaned up, and while Mirren went off to meet with a man named Cecil Lankensen, Rumpelstiltskin was given a guest room. Though it was the middle of the day, he hadn't been getting much sleep lately. He had told himself that the ground was too hard, and he couldn't sleep that way, but in reality, he'd been keeping himself awake, dreading the things he saw when he closed his eyes.

In his dream, his father still glared at him, his half sister still demanded to know why he'd killed their father. But lately, there was a new terror haunting him. A shadow, a thing of pure darkness that stalked him silently. It didn't look all that menacing, only a shade darker than the shadow he cast, but it terrified him. He didn't know why, but he always ran from it. But before, it had only followed him, never done more. Tonight, he was running again, he and his own shadow fleeing as fast as was humanly possible from this thing, whatever it may be.  
"You can never hide from that which is within you Nimin,"a deep, growling voice said. It froze his blood, and his hair stood up straight as he stopped dead in his tracks, turning to look behind him. The shadow was gone, and in it's place, was a man. With a definite feeling of dread, and growing horror, he recognised himself. Only this figure had golden skin, cold eyes and a predatory grin that made him feel powerless. It started walking towards him, and he tried to run, but he was frozen, he couldn't move. At his feet, the shadow he cast was jumping in place, writhing as if in agony. The golden skinned demon stopped in front of Rumpelstiltskin, and reached out for him-

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes snapped open, and he sat up with a start, nostrils flared, chest rising and falling heavily as his heart pounded erratically. He was drenched in sweat, though he was freezing cold. He stood, abandoning sleep, and left the room, walking through the hall, not really taking note of where he was going. He walked down the corridors, out of the castle, and had the gaurds let him out of the front gate. He walked through the crowded streets, lost in thought, the smells and sounds of the city lost on him.  
"Lord Rumpelstiltskin," he heard a tiny voice say. The voice, though small, cut through all the noise in the busy street, and snapped him out of his thoughtful state. He turned, to see a small child, a girl, standing behind him. She looked like she couldn't be any older than five, and was wearing a dress that was little more than a rag. Her feet were bare, and her hair was a knotted mass atop her tiny head. But it was her eyes that drew his attention. They weren't the young, innocent and unassuming eyes of a small child. They were the eyes of an old, old woman who had seen much more than any one ever should. She crooked a finger at him, beckoning for him to follow her, and then turned, making her way through the crowd. Rumpelstiltskin hesitated a minute, and then followed her. She led him through the streets, moving a lot more quickly than someone with such short legs should have been able to, and he found himself running to keep her in sight. She veered off to the left, going into a building, and he followed her in, ducking through the low doorway. The house was empty, and the floor was only swept dirt. The girl was sitting cross legged in the middle of the room, looking up at him in a way that made his skin crawl. He walked over, standing over her.  
"Who are you? How do you know me?" he asked her.  
She gestured for him to sit, and he did, his eyes not leaving her. She stared at him for a long while, and he was beginning to wonder if he should leave, when she rached out, and took his left hand, which had been lying in his lap. He jumped a bit at the sudden contact, but she ignored the movement, turning his hand over so his palm faced up. She straightened his fingers out, and held them that way, staring intently at his hand, her eyes narrowing. She looked up at him again, and spoke.  
"You have nightmares. You are visited by a Shadow. A wraith. A spirit of pure evil," she said calmly. He swallowed hard, knowing that the girl must be a Seer.  
"Can you make it leave?" he asked, whispereing though he didn't know why. The Seer shook her head, not letting his hand go.  
"It is you who bring this demon to yourself. To rid yourself of it, you must give it no more reason to haunt you," she said.  
"Tell me then. What am I doing to bring it to me?" he asked desperately. She gripped his fingers more tighty, forcing his hand into a straight line from his wrist to the tips of his fingers.  
"There is much darkness hidden within you. For most of it, the Shadow is to blame, not yourself. But at the heart of this darkness, is your own desire to avenge your father's death. This feeds the Shadow, and if you are to rid yourself completely of this darkness, you must let that go," she said.  
"But he deserves justice," Rumpelstiltskin mumbled.  
"And justice he will have. But you knew your father well. Would he have wanted you to be this? A Shadow driven by thoughts of murder and vengeance?" the girl asked. Her grip on his fingers was painfully tight for a moment, and then she let go of his fingers altogether, standing. He looked up at her, meeting her eyes.  
"Live for something other than revenge Rumpelstiltskin," she said, her voice breaking like she was about to cry. She bent down, and took his face in her hands, staring into his eyes more intently than before now, tears falling down her face.  
"And remember that there is always more to life than that which can easily be seen by man," she said. She straightened, and walked out the door, leaving him sitting, puzzled, and more than a bit unsettled at what she'd said.


	9. Chapter 9

Despite the Seer's warnings, Rumpelstiltskin could not give up on his revenge that easily. Not when he had the quen of one of the most powerful kingdoms sworn to help him. But Mirren had been keeping clear of him, though he wasn't sure if she was just too busy with her duties, or if she was purposefully avoiding him. He finally caught up with her in her quarters a week later. Mirren opened the door, to find him lying on the bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He turned to look at her when she came in, and she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw him. "What are you doing here?" she demanded when she recovered from her initial shock.  
He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "When are you planning to enter into war with the black Queen?" he asked flatly. Mirren crossed her arms over her chest.  
"Never," she replied.  
"We have a deal. You have to-"  
"Our deal was that I help you kill the Black Queen. But I will NOT endanger the lives of everyine in my kingdom by openly declaring war on her," Mirren said. Rumpelstiltskin looked at her in surprise, and admiration, despite the fact that this news disappointed him.  
"Then what are you going to do?" he asked. Mirren grinned, a grin that was not at all dignified or queenly.  
"I have a few friends who can help us," she said.  
Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What sort of 'friends'?" he asked.  
"You'll see," Mirren said. "We'll leave tomorrow, and probably arrive in a few days," she said. She turned, and opened the door. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep," she said. Rumpelstiltskin got up, and left a bit reluctantly, wondering if he should stay and make her tell him. But the door was already closed behind him, so he left it be.

The next morning, Rumpelstiltskin woke early again, and got out of bed, shivering. He dressed hurriedly, and left his room, still shivering violently as he strode quickly through the halls. They were empty, which should never be. There should at least have been gaurds, patrolling the castle. But there were none, and it was much to quiet for his comfort. He broke into a run, gasping loudly in the quiet. It reminded him of that cell, the silence, so quiet it's almost deafening. He wanted to scream, but he was running hard now, and didn't have the breath to. He his leg started hurting, and he stopped, leaned heavily against a wall, panting. He looked down, and saw blood soaking through teh fabric of his pants, and he realised he must have torn the healing arrow wound back open. He looked around, and saw some a door to his left. He opened it, to find that it led into a large room, with a soaring ceiling. His footsteps echoed emptily in here, and somehow, that was worse than the silence that had been before. He looked around, startled to find that he had no idea where he was. He started back towards the doors, but a high-pitched voice stopped him.  
"Lost are we Dearie?" the voice asked. Rumpelstiltskin spun around, but didn't see anyone else in the room.  
"Who's there?" he asked. The voice laughed, a high-pitched, unpleasant sound. He looked around the room, but saw no one there.  
"Where are you?" he demanded.  
"You know where I am," the voice said, whispering now. He shuddered, feeling hot breath on his ear. When he turned, there was no one there.  
"Oh really. Do you need step-by-step instructions?" the voice taunted. He stopped, and walked up to the front of the room, were there was a mirror hanging on the wall. He looked in the mirror, and saw his own reflection staring back at him. But his reflection was grinning where he was not, and it had golden skin, which was gleaming faintly in the moonlight from the window.  
Rumpelstiltskin stumbled back a step, and the thing in the mirror tutted.  
"Now now. You don't need to be afraid," it sang, but it's words did not assure Rumpelstiltskin in the least. Instead, they put his guard up higher.  
"You're the Shadow," Rumpelstiltskin said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.  
"Oh no Dearie. I'm you," it said, cocking it's head to the side. "Can't you see that?" it grinned grotesquely again, showing rotten teeth.  
"You aren't me," Rumpelstiltskin said. The Shadow giggled, and then looked around. It beckoned for Rumpelstiltskin to come closer.  
"Come here Nimin," it said. Rumpelstiltskin had no intention of doing that, but his feet moved forward anway.  
"What are you dong?" he cried, struggling against whatever magic the demon in the mirror was using.  
It just giggled again as he jerked forward, stopping just in front of the mirror. It put it's hand up, pressing against the mirror.  
"Touch the mirror," it commanded, voice deepening into that of the Shadow from his nightmares. It's eyes darkened until they were pure black, and Rumpelstiltskin gasped as his hand was drawn up to the mirror. He fought back, not knowing what would happen if he touched the mirror, but knowing that he wouldn't like it. The golden demon dissolved into a cloud of pure black, circling angrily around in the mirror as Rumpelstiltskin's hand drew closer to the reflective surface. Hid fingertips were a fraction of an inch away from the glass, when the mirror blew apart, shattering. He crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath. He looked behind him, to see Mirren staring at him, her face as white as a sheet. He stood shakily, and walked away from the remains of the mirror, wincing as his leg flared up. He thought Mirren was going to let him walk past, but she stopped him with an outstretched arm, her expression unreadable.  
"What was that Rumpelstiltskin?" she asked.  
"I don't know what it was," he lied, trying to push past her, but she stopped him again.  
"I think you do," she said. "That was something that exuded Dark Magic. Enough to wake me from a sound sleep." She nodded to the remains of the mirror. "Mirrors show only truth. You stood in front of one and saw only darkness. Why?"she asked, now seeming like she was only talking to herself. "Why would the mirror show you something so dark if you are not dark yourself?" she asked.  
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. "I don't know," he lied again, but she narrowed her eyes at him, and grabbed his arm, hauling him through the castle with her despite his protests.


	10. Chapter 10

He thought at first she was taking him to her rooms, but they went past her door, and she dragged him all the way up the staircase of her tower, to a door that looked very thick. She waved her hand, and it swung open inwards. She swept him into the room, and pulled a chair away from the wall, dragging it to the center of the room and pushing him down into it forcefully. The door swung shut on it's own as she stood over him. He looked up, meeting her gaze, and finding that she was concerned, not angry.  
"Rumpelstiltskin, did you ever spend any time around wielders of Dark Magic?" she asked.  
"No," he replied, confused.  
"Has anyone ever died in front of you? Anyone who might have been bad, or someone you didn't know?" she asked.  
"No one bad, or who I didn't know," he replied steadily.  
She stared at him for a long time, seeming to determine that he was telling her the truth. She bent over so that she was eye level with him.  
"Have you ever spent time in a place wrapped up so tightly in magic that there was absolutely no chance anything could get out without assistance?" she asked softly, almost seeming afraid of the answer.  
He nodded wordlessly, remembering the cell. Mirren drew away from him, walking briskly over to a cabinet. Rumpelstiltskin looked around the room for the first time. There was a long table in the middle of the room with nothing on it. Shelves and cabinets lined the walls, and there were all sorts of things on them. Rumpelstiltskin realised he was in Mirren's workroom, the place where Sorcereress' kept their supplies. He'd never actually seen the inside of one before, and it was fascinating. There was a jar on one shelf that looked like it contained rat tails, though he couldn't be sure. He looked away from the jar to Mirren, who was hurrying back to him, holding a little green pouch. She undid the drawstrings, and dumped a small quantity of fine white powder into the palm of her hand. She took a breath, and blew it at Rumpelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes, not quite sure what this was supposed to do. He breathed some of it in, and coughed a bit, before looking at Mirren questioningly. Not doubting the potency of her powder, she didn't hesitate.  
"What is your name?" she asked.  
Rumpelstiltskin knitted his brow in confusion. "Rumpelstiltskin," he replied.  
"What are you?" she asked. He was puzzled by this question, but instead of giving her one of the many answers that immediately popped into his head, he got very dizzy.

Mirren watched as Rumpelstiltskin's head slumped over, and a shudder ripped through him. She looked down at his hand, and saw it changing color, and hurled a quick spell at him. Ropes sprang up, tying him to the chair, though Mirren wasn't sure quite what good they would do against whatever had taken root here. She ran over to her cabinet, and grabbed a jar of thick, gooey liquid, which she quickly dumped over his head. He convulsed, gripping the armrests, but the ropes stayed in place, and the thing didn't open it's eyes. It shuddered again, and then giggled.  
Mirren moved so that she was in front of the thing, standing over it. "I'll ask again," she said, softly, but forcefully. "What are you?"  
It's head snapped up, and it looked at her, grinning. "Ek Nrais Kyaneit," it replied.  
Mirren stared down at it. She'd been expecting something bad, something powerful and evil, but nothing like this.  
"The Dark One," she whispered, and the thing giggled loudly. "Excellent. There aren't many left these days who still understand the Old Tongue," he said delightedly.  
"You died years ago," Mirren said.  
"I did, didn't I? Let me give you a good piece of advice girl," he said. He leaned towards her. "Never die. It's a highly unpleasant experience."  
"You didn't go all the way, did you?" Mirren asked, though she already knew what his answer would be.  
"Of course not. So many spells to keep in... not even death could let me out. They took my body away, but my soul was left in that cell, with no way out." He grinnned. "That is, until they threw poor little Rumpelstiltskin in with me. It was almost comically easy to take him. So much anger... delicious," The Dark One hissed. "Such a longing for revenge."  
"If you were there the whole time, why wait?" Mirren asked, curious. "Why not just take over his body completely?"  
"He wasn't... ripe, shall we say? He wanted the Black Queen dead, but he only hated her. He wasn't angry enough." It paused. "And I will give him credit for being strong. But I always win. You are all so weak. It was always just a matter of time before he cracked enough to release me." He laughed, a very unpleasant sound. "And then you were kind enough to cast a Truth on him. You know he couldn't answer that question? He has no idea what he is." Mirren was not fooled in the least. "If you've taken over, why are you still in that chair?" she asked. His smile faltered. Mirren went on.  
"The ropes, and the Weaken spell, neither of them are strong enough to hold you. So why am I still alive?" she challenged.  
His lips curled up in a snarl, but he didn't reply. Mirren, satisfid, walked over and placed her hands on either side of his head briefly. He slumped over again, and the gold coloring started to fade from his skin. His breathing steadied, and Mirred sat down cross-legged on the floor, watching as Rumpelstiltskin woke slowly.

Rumpelstiltskin woke, and immediately felt the gooey substance, the Weaken Mirren had poured over him, still working. He lifted his hed briefly, before letting it fall back, groaning. Behind him, Mirren was trying to manually untie the ropes. The Weaken was rendering all the spells she'd directed at it impotent. She heard him groan, and moved to face him, slapping him lightly to keep him awake.  
He lifted his head, and saw Mirren.  
"What-"  
"It's fine, that's Weaken. It'll wear off in a minute," Mirren said. She let his head fall back, and went to a cabinet, pulling a knife out, and cutting the ropes. She leaned against the table, waiting as the Weaken wore off. Rumpelstiltskin sat up slowly, clutching his head.  
"Gods, what happened?" he asked, turning to look at Mirren, who had the oddest look on her face.  
"I'll tell you in the morning," she said after a minute. She turned, opening a chest and fishing around in it for a minute, before emerging with two metal half-circles. "Hold out your hand," she said.  
"What is that?" he asked. He held his hand out, and she touched one end of each together. It merged, so they were connected, and she closed it around his wrist, so there was a thin band of silvery metal closed around his wrist, hugging his skin.  
"It'll keep away unwanted visitors," she said shortly. She steered him out of the room, and locked the door, before heading off to her rooms, leaving him on his own.


End file.
